Diabolical Deed

Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Lady Justice is a true crime podcasttherefore deals with incidence of violence, disturbing
imagery and explicit content. Listener discretionis advised. The Lady Justice podcast offers
their deepest condolences to victims' families andwas just to offer thanks to those who
work in emergency services. Hello,my Lovelease, and welcome to Lady Justice

(00:35):
True Crime and the episode Diabolical Deed. My name is Chantelle, and thank
you ever so much for joining me. I will apologize in advance because I
do have a bit of a cold, so I'm sorry, but the show
must go on right. In thisepisode, four month old William John Davies

(00:56):
was removed from his cradle in hishome in Sae Time, Cornwall. He
was then bathed and his head decapitatedfrom his body. It's been discovered by
a child a light in the fire. Its killer was thought to be a
neighbor, thirteen year old Thomas PainterPomeo. So without rather ado, here

(01:17):
is another background on the timeframe andlocation of this case. Let's take a
step back in time to nineteen oseven. Edward the seventh was the monarch
as Parliament was ran by the Liberalgovernment led by Henry Campbell Bannerman. It
was the year that the Old Babyin London was opened and the Irish Crome

(01:38):
Jewels stolen. It was also theyear that the Court of Appeal was created
in England and Wales. We areheading to one of the most beautiful spots
in the UK in my humble opinion, Saint Ives in Cornwall. This seaside
town has a rich history as animportant site for many moments in history.

(02:00):
The town, settled into the bay, has also been a favorite of some
of the most influential artists over theyears, and today stands as one of
the busiest tourist spots in England.As always, sources are listed in the
show notes. The Daiji, nowconsidered one of the most picturesque streets in

(02:23):
the UK, was in nineteen ohseven considered a less desirable district of the
pretty Saint Ives. Many of theresidents of the tightly packed street worked from
the sea as fisher folk, withwhole families living in small courses in one
or two rooms. Contemporary reports toldof how it was one of the poorest

(02:46):
districts, being quoted as a thicklypopulated slum. Papers would describe the meanly
built homes on either side of thenarrow pebbled causeway. That's because of its
location, became a hotbed for diseaseand dirt. Despite all that the women
of the area did to combat such, it was said not to be a

(03:10):
healthy neighborhood, which goes some wayto explain why a couple on that slender
street had been so tragically hit bymany deaths of their own children. Above
the sables in Dagy Square was thehome of the Davies family, headed by
William and Dorcas. William married DawcasMetters on December thirtieth, eighteen eighty one,

(03:37):
both from local families, and theywere described as quiet, respectable people.
The couple would become a family whentheir first daughter, Dorcas Junior,
was born in eighteen eighty two,Yet the family would not be happy for
long. Just a little after herfirst birthday, Dorcas Junior was to part

(04:00):
away together. The Davys couple wouldcontinue their relationship lovingly, becoming parents no
less than nineteen times. However,only four of those were surviving by nineteen
o seven. William John was ablessing for the couple when he was born
on November second, nineteen o six. The little boy was dated on by

(04:25):
his family, who was considered aneasy baby, never too fussy. His
parents had been married for nearly twentyfive years by the time of his birth
and were settled in their home atthe Naige, with his father supporting his
family as a fisherman in the employeeof mister Brofance. By March nineteen o

(04:46):
seven, at just four months old, William John was secure in his world,
living at home with his mother,father, an elder brother, Charlie,
and sister Sarah Lily known as Lily. On March forteenth, much was
the same in his world. WilliamSenior left for Whack that morning at seven
forty a m and his brother Charlieleft some time after to attend the local

(05:11):
school, leaving him with his motherand sister. They would spend the morning
together with his mother completing the washingfor the week in the washtub in the
kitchen. His sister, Lily,bored and wanted to escape the small home,
would venture out whilst their mother completedthe tasks. That morning, the
neighbor's eldest boy and as Tommy,would twice sneak into the cramped kitchen space

(05:38):
on his chiptoes, a prank hewould often pull. Dorcas was busy and
had no time for the tomfoolery,telling him to scarf her and not to
return, knowing that she would catchhis mother later in the day to have
a word with her about it.Tommy, as they sat lived the extraor
to the Davies with his father PeterPomeio a fish, mother Elizabeth, sisters

(06:01):
and brother Peter Junior. His motherwas working in the local drinking hole,
the White Heart, and wasn't youback until later that day. The poor
mee Or family were much the sameas the Davies, and where quote known
throughout the town is quite respectable peoplealso now, I think it is important

(06:25):
to add a bit more of acontextual look at this time before we move
any further. In nineteen o seven, it was cop in place practice to
leave young children sleeping within their homewhilst their mothers would go about errands.
It was not something that had anynotion of outrage that we would have in

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today's society, and I wish toadd this as we should be looking into
each of every case featured through thelooking glass of that time and its people.
So that said, it would justbe after three o'clock that Ducas realized
that she must take the dough sheprepared earlier to the local bakehouse. However,
she saw that William John was sleepingand did not wish to wake her

(07:09):
child. The journey was a shortone, being close to the home,
as she dashed into the neighboring buildingjust after three o'clock stayed for a short
time to sort her bread before dashingback home. When she got home,
she prepared a feed for her littleboy in a glass bottle before sitting with

(07:30):
him for a few moments. Afterhe had drunk all of his milk,
his eyes dropped heavily, ready foran afternoon nap, and his mother carefully
placed him back into his cradle.The room was warm, with the kitchen
fire still burnie as she made surehe was comfortable with a dummy nearby.
It was now just about four o'clockand Dorcas looked around the room her baby's

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leap. The washtub she'd used earlierstill filled, the water a dark from
the dye in the clothes on thetable, the sharp bread knife lay As
she glanced back, knowing that Williamwould be asleep for some time. She
decided she would go find Lily beforeher husband was due back from work.
Leaving the door slightly ajar, shemade her way down the stone steps.

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Went there, she spotted Tommy,knowing that he'd been out with his father
for a few hours. Because hehadn't been trying to sneak into hers,
she thought that he might have seenher daughter and asked if he'd spotted her
on his way. The slim boyreplied that he had and that the little
girl was down by Porthmor Beach lessthan two minutes walk away. Dorcas crossed

(08:45):
the square and went to the beach, yet could not see Lily, so
passed back through as she went tosee if the girl had gone to visit
with her grandmother, Elizabeth Metters.As she passed back through the square mere
minutes after leaving home, she lookedup at her door and it all seemed
normal. She also noted that Tommywas no longer outside. When she did

(09:07):
arrive at her mother's she would findLily safe from playing. Her mom asked
her where the baby was, andshe explained that he was napping at home.
As she agreed to stay for acup of tea before taking Lily back.
The mother and daughter then walked theshort distance back hand in hand,
and as they approached the square,they spotted their neighbors by the door.

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As they did, Dorcas remembered thatshe must speak to Elizabeth because Tommy had
been making a nuisance of himself,but thought it could wait till later.
She greeted missus pommy Or, whoshe would later recall as being pale as
death, with a smile as shesaid, dunwashing, have you, to
which Elizabeth replied, yes, it'sthree o'clock. Dorcas could tell something was

(09:52):
off with the woman, but shewas also as busy and it's exhausted as
her with the whole daily to allof life raising small families and tough conditions.
She did not take much notice asElizabeth seemed to wish to get away
from her see her rush into herhome with Peter, especially as she appeared
again on the stairs just moments beforeDorcas stepped into her home. As she

(10:16):
was approaching the stairs, she wasimmediately hit by the overwhelming smell of paraffin,
which was used to fill the lampexasperated from the top of the landing,
she called back to missus Pomio,Oh, what a stink of paraffin.
Opening the door a little wider,she first looked at the floor and
saw the sheen of water and oilon the floor. She called back again,

(10:41):
saying, your child has been inhere again. The footsteps of her
neighbor was behind Dorcas as she fullystepped into the room and then looked over
to where her son was sleeping.But he was not there. Her four
month old baby was not sleeping inhis cradle where she had left him.
Ah, my baby has gone fromthe cradle. Your boy Tommy has got

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my baby. Dorcas launched herself towardsElizabeth, but the woman stood shocked and
still. The body of the baby, William John was not in his cradle,
but he was in the room.His body laid on the wet floor,
his head visibly cut and burnt,detached from his torso was in the

(11:24):
fender. Elizabeth grabbed the collapsing Dorcas, finding the closest chair to support the
screaming woman. The commotion alerted allthose working and living nearby, and people
rushed to see what was wrong.In moments like these, I suppose we
never know how we would react,and judgment regarding such should be contained as
much as possible. For Dorcas,despite her child laying dead on the floor,

(11:48):
she was overwhelmed with the thought ofthose who were about to enter her
home and what they would think ofher. Looking over at the wash tub,
she asked Elizabeth to empty it,telling an ink later that she was
worried about what others would think ofher. She did not want to be
known as quote a dirty woman.Elizabeth did so, and she carried pockets

(12:09):
of the dark water away. Stilluncontrollable with emotion, Dorcas was almost unable
to control herself when she was standingby the bedroom door as her husband came
bounding up the stairs. William hadheard the screams coming from the daige as
he was returning from work, yetnever expected them to be coming from his

(12:30):
own home. He asked his wifewhat had happened, as she looked at
him with war pain in her eyesthan he'd ever seen before, as she
said, someone's been here and murderedthe child. He spun around and realized
that Elizabeth was also in the room, crazily, her own child standing near
the edge of the room. Thespace of the kitchen closer to the fire

(12:52):
seemed empty, and he then lookeddown to see his son. He would
later tell the body of my childwas lying alongside the fireplace, and the
head had been severed from the bodywho was lying on the bars of the
fender. He could not bring himselfto reach out to William John, and
he asked his wife how it happened. With her barely able to speak.

(13:15):
She married to tell him to gofetch the sergeant, which he did.
Though the little home above the stableshad become a hive of activity, the
adjoining home, the Palmios, whichwas usually brimming with activity, stood silent.
Elizabeth was with Dorcas, as weknow, but the rest of the
family had fled to a quieter spaceat Missus Painter's home. Elizabeth's mother I

(13:39):
say quiet, Yet that is notquite true. If I take you back
to when Dorcas first arrived at theDaige with her daughter, she ran into
Missus Pomio, who was described aspale as a ghost. There was a
reason for this. Elizabeth already knewwhat was inside the Davy's home. William

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John had not been first discovered byhis own mother. The first person to
have raised the alarm to the gruesomemurder had actually been nine year old Peter
Paulmeal. He had walked into theDavy's home in search of someone to play
with, yes had come across thebaby. At this time, William John's
head was not in the fender.In fact, it was in the fire

(14:24):
itself. The boy had rushed outof the room and had gone to find
his father, who was packing tobaccofor a smoke. He told his dad,
who rushed with him back to theneighbor's home. Peter Senior would take
the boy's head for the fire andleave with haste. He looked into his
own home and saw that Tommy wasup there, so rushed off with not

(14:45):
a word to Peter of what wasto happen next. As he walked directly
in the direction of his mother inlaw's home, where he had expected to
meet his wife after work that day, he saw Tommy making the same journey
before him. The three Pomios arrivedat the home of Missus Painter. Out
of breath. Mister Pomo asked ifElizabeth had returned yet, to which he

(15:09):
was told no. The elder womancould tell something was wrong, even The
children looked as if their world hadcrumbled in on them, so asked what
was the matter, that is whenPeter told her that its neighbor's child had
been decapitated. He told her thathe needed to go find Elizabeth as quickly
as possible so that she could helpbreak the news to Dorcas before she returned.

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He then darted to the White Hart, where he caught his wife leaving
by the back entrance. He blurtedout in hush tones what he had seen
at the Davy's home, and theyexchanged a look. They agreed that he
would keep Tommy with him at hermother's while she returned to the Daijee to
help break the news. They alreadyknew their son was going to be a

(15:54):
suspect. Elizabeth already knew what wasinside Dorcas's home, and Elizabeth never and
warned her. So later, asElizabeth was cleaning the crime scene, the
rest of her family were just yardsaway the house of Missus. Painter began
to fill as relatives head of thenews and came to gather at the grandmother
this home. There was much talkof what had happened as people came and

(16:17):
went. The adults of the family, such as Tommy's uncle, father,
and grandmother, would speak in hushtones, not hiding the overtones of the
conversation being if Tommy was suspected.Whilst there, Tommy was to change from
his dark coat to a lighter blueone, and whilst he watched on by
his entire family, he was madeto wash his face and hands. Tommy

(16:41):
changed his boots, and later theywould become an important object in testimony,
before he then settled down to playwith the other children, his grandmother hovering
close. Soon, other residents ofthe town would come to the grandmother's home
with more news. One of thosewas Hannah Peak As Annie, who lived
at Saint Peter's Hill. When shehad arrived, both Peter, Celia and

(17:06):
Tommy were there, she would talkto the boy, who blurted out in
these usual happy tones. Annie Baby'shead cut off. She stood back a
little and studied the boy. Boyused to ask a question to him,
but as she did, his fatherinterrupted and tried to explain that he was
to be ignored, that he wasjust repeating the conversations he had overheard.

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Annie took another look at the boyand fixed her eyes on his father.
She knew now since arriving that he'dactually been alerted by his own son Peter
about the crime. As she knewnow that he hadn't told anyone before he
reached his mother in law, Sheknew that he would have met people before,
as the square was usually busy.She asked him why he'd waited to

(17:52):
raise the alarm with the man juststood blankly before her. His name was
then called, he disappeared to thedirection of the call. The police would
arrive soon after, and they spoketo each of them individually. No murder
weapon had been found at the scene, which was presumed to be the sharp
bread knife that Dorcas had on thekitchen table. It had since gone missing.

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After statements were made, the familiessaw each other briefly again before Tommy
and his father went for a walkto the pier. When they returned to
police, Sergeant Drew, who wassitting with Peter Junior, told them that
they would need to come with himto the station. Within hours, the
police would be able to inform thegrief stricken parents that an arrest had been

(18:37):
made. Tommy Pamole, the slightboy who looked years younger than his age,
with a dark complexion and black eyeshad been taken into custody. Due
to the nature of the case,the Davis family were informed that Superintendent Banfield
would be traveling to Saint Ives inthe morning to head up the inquiries.

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The news was somber yet sensational inthe town. Many of the residents were
spoken to by members of the presswho felt that Tommy could not have possibly
been the cause of such a horrendouscrime. They described him as a boy
with a weak intellect and perhaps alittle bit of a rascal, but he
was innocent in his ways. Theyoung team had attempted education, though the

(19:25):
school found it difficult to handle him, and he was told not to return
after just one year. Benew thatmany of the people around the diegee had
become very familiar with him and hisways. The locals would tell the press
that they imagined soon another suspect wouldbe identified. It was never doubted that
the child had been murdered by somewhatother than the parents in the media,

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but of course when a crime thisdoes happen, police do have to do
their due diligence. It was confirmedthat William was working all throughout the day,
not returning to his home at anypoint. The mother Dorcas had been
seen by many that day and wasdescribed by witnesses to be in a quote
bright and cheerful mood. The timelineof her day was also collaborated by witnesses

(20:14):
who had spent at least twenty minuteswith her at the bakehouse, as well
as shopkeepers who had had exchanges withher as she bought items, and passers
by with whom she knew well.No motive could ever be detective with a
couple either even being questioned, orwhether the child had been insured, which
he had not. The inquest intothe death of William John Davies was opened

(20:38):
by West Cornwall Coroner mister Edward Bowsat the town hall on the afternoon of
Friday, March fifteenth. He wouldexplain the duties of the court to the
all male jury cize, especially thatthey had to decide if the death was
a crime, commits it and ifit was so, was it one done

(20:59):
with crimlin tent. They also mustconsider if Thomas Pomio, rested the night
before, was the corporate He wouldtell them not to consider what was well
known about the boy's mental state,as that would be dealt with later within
the justice system, and they wasfocused on the facts that would be given
and then decide if he was involvedin the death. The jury would first

(21:23):
hear the agreed facts that much wasstill surrounded in mystery. It was known
though that the death of William Johnhad occurred whilst his mother was away from
home on the previous afternoon. Itwas also known that the boy had been
decapitated, but the evidence also provedthat they quote the drenched state of his

(21:45):
garments, that the baby had alsobeen held in water, and it was
known that witnesses could place Thomas Polmioin the facility of the crime. In
the agreed time frame, they wouldfirst hear evidence to the identification of the
boy from his father. The manwept as he spoke to recognizing his babe's

(22:07):
clothing. He could not go on. After this, Sentrury was taking the
short distance to the police station whereWilliam John's body had been removed. On
their return, they would hear fromthe Dorcas, mister Hill, the Chief
Constable of Cornwall, mister Thomas forthe Crown, and mister Borden On behalf
of the boy would watch on asshe explained the moment she found her baby

(22:29):
dead. The press would call thempainful scenes. The emotion of the day
and the pending legal duties of thepolice meant the coroner would adjourn. After
this, everyone left the room deflated, but one Tommy, who was described
to the press as a pitiable objectand dressed in a light coat with blue

(22:52):
jersey, the sleeves of the lightcoat very short and torn at the elbows.
He walked away from the room showingnon for the matter. After the
first hearing of the Coroner's court wasmade, Tommy was escorted from the town
hall to the police station, whereat a special sitting of magistrates, Hugh
at the chairman of the bench,Mayor Joshua Daniel. It was now past

(23:15):
six pm. The boy was nowat another legal hearing. It would be
described in the Western Evening herald asthe spectacle of the ragged, unwashed little
fellow studying before the magistrates, hiseyes wandering franquently around the room, was
pathetic in the extreme. The ovalfaced boy with clean cup features to the

(23:37):
loan without the support of his parentsat the court and stood across from the
Mayor, showing no understanding of whatwas going on what a reporter said that
Tommy's mental powers were undoubtedly deficient.The law stated that the bench could remand
into custody and accused without any supportingevidence for up to three days, which

(24:02):
is what was requested for the boy. Defense cassel had been sought mister Bawden
and he was offered no objection tothe remand. The funeral of William John
Davies was held on Sunday, Marchsixteenth, and there was a large concourse
of people, notably young children,that lighted the streets as the carriages holding

(24:23):
William John and his family arrived atthe church at four p m. His
tidy coffin of visual expression of thetragedy was so small that it was noted
in the newspapers that the undertaker couldhold him under his arm. He was
laid to rest after an emotional surfaceby Reverend marsh in which both his parents

(24:45):
were seen to break down under theweight of the day. A week after
the inquest was first opened, itwould be resumed in the town hall on
the following Friday. The day wasa long one and witnesses were seen,
such as the Davy's couple shopkeepers whohad a few of the home in question,
people in the street, as wellas some of Tommy's own family.

(25:07):
One of these was the younger Peterpot we All. He would give evidence
as he was the child who haddiscovered William John in the immediate aftermath of
the crime and had originally raised thealarm with his father. The boy told
of how he went to the Daviesto play with their son, Charlie,
and as he left his home,he passed his elder brother in the doorway,

(25:30):
where he was eating a piece ofbread and butter. When he entered
the may room of the Davy's home, he looked inside the kitchen fire,
which was lit, and there,spitting in the flames was something engulfed.
He realized it was William John.When his father returned with him, he
testified to wait to see his dadtake the body of the baby from the

(25:51):
fender to the floor and using ashovel, take the head, which was
aflame by the right side to thefender. Afterward, tea company, father
and Tommy to their grandmother's in hopestheir mother had gone there. After work,
his dad left him with his careof his grandmother. When he went
in search for his mother. Whilstthe two boys were there, he were
testified as seeing Tommy wash his handsin face, though he was unsure as

(26:15):
to why. Then, when askedwho was there when this happened, he
would rattle off a whole host ofrelatives, in fact, eight of them.
Nobody had mentioned this elsewhere. Askedwhat Peter had been doing that Thursday,
he said that he'd spent some timein school but did not want to
go immediately home. He thought thatCharlie Davies would like to come out to
play, and that's why he calledround for him. Peter would say that

(26:38):
he didn't see his brother change hisclothes, but when his father returned from
searching with his mother, his dadburket Tommy's boots in his grandma's fire.
He would also testify that after thediscovery and they were at his grandmother's house,
Tommy ran away and that his fatherhad to chase him down. Now,
I said the boots would be animportant part of the tale. Earlier

(27:00):
investigations by the police had encovered thaton the day of the murder, Tommy
had been seen with two sets ofboots, while which was given to him
by a neighbor. As I handedout he had been witnessed by more than
one person with two sets of boots. After the crime, only one set
of boots were recovered. Peter Noelpaulmi All, father of the accuser and

(27:22):
the previous witness, would say thathe was in the company of his son
from around two in the afternoon untilfour. He said that after he had
returned home that afternoon, he hadonly been in the home for about twenty
minutes when his nine year old ranup to him and exclaimed, dadda,
missus Davies, child is in thefire. He explained to the inquest,

(27:45):
which sat in tense silence, howhe used the shovelment a poker to roll
the head from the flames before hedashed out of the door. In his
panic. He descended the stairs andsaid he called out for Tommy, yet
received answer. Sir rush instead tofind his wife. The coroner asked why
he had called for Tommy, andthe father explained that he just wished for

(28:07):
him to be close by to him. He didn't want people to see his
son near that home. He finishedby saying, if he did it,
he did it, he did notdo it. He did not do it.
When questioned about being at his motherin law's after the discovery, he
said that he did not burn anyboots, and on that day Tommy had
been wearing an old pair. Hesaid that on that day he had shifted

(28:30):
a pair of Tommy's boots to hisbrother. Peter asked of the clothes that
Tommy was wearing when he was arrested, with the same as that he'd worn
that day. He agreed that theywere, but that Tommy had taken one
of his coats off whilst at hisgrandmothers at around five thirty. He was
admit that although he saw people ashe traveled from the scene of the crime

(28:52):
to his mother in law's, hefirst only told Elizabeth Painter he would also
emit stay silent as he journeyed frommissus Painter's home to the White Heart,
where his wife was employed. Ajuror asked why he then spent the evening
of the discovery at the pier withTommy, to which Peter explained that he
was quote just passing the time away. Elizabeth Poulby, or Tommy's mother,

(29:18):
was also to give evidence at theinquest. She said that her husband had
met her at the door of thewhite Heart, and they returned to her
mother's on Saint Peter's Street immediately.She then left there and rushed back to
dig Square, where she met MissusDavies by her doorstep. Elizabeth told that
even though knowing what was inside herneighbor's home, she was unable to break

(29:41):
the news. After the discovery,she stayed with Dorcas and offered to help
however she could. Tommy's mother wouldalso explain that, under the direction of
Missus Davies, she emptied out thewater from the washtub, one bucket load
at a time, leaving only asmall amount at the bottom. She said
after she finished this task, shebegan to wipe the floor, but was

(30:03):
stopped quickly on the arrival of SergeantDrew thereafter, the officer had forbade her
to clean or leave the home untilstatements had been completed. Sergeant Drew would
also confirm this and told of howhe left the Digee and made his way
with Police Constable Sloman to visit withthe rest of the pommy Or family who
were gathered at the grandmother's He saidthat when he entered that Tommy was rather

(30:29):
quiet and sitting on his grandmother's lap, yet the boy's father and uncle were
said to be highly excitable. Hespoke of taking his statements for the family
at this time, and after speakingwith Peter Junior, he had decided to
take Tommy into custody. He admittedthat during this time at the police station,
they had allowed Tommy to spend timewith his younger brother Peter, with

(30:52):
whom he was very close, lettingthe boys sleep together in the cells.
He would also talk of the statementsmade by William John's mother, who said
that Elizabeth Paumelle had told her thata quote big dog had gotten in and
torn her baby's head off. Laterat the hearing, that statement would be
reiterated by a hawker, William QuickStevens, who had been told a quote

(31:17):
dog had bissened off the Davy's child'shead. He said that when he had
heard the news, he had madehis way to their lodgings and arrived before
the police. When he walked intothe kitchen, he saw the body of
the child with Missus Pomiell cleaning,and Daucas sat crying busily in a chair.
Medical evidence was given by the SaintIves Space doctor Matthews, who would

(31:40):
tell of how he arrived at theDavy's home at five fifteen on March fourteenth
and entered the main room to seethe headless body of the baby on the
floor. At the scene, hewas examined William John and said that he
believed that he had died around oneor two hours before. He witnessed a
blood clot on the fender of thekitchen fire, another large clot between the

(32:01):
fender and their head, and thenfinally a body of blood mixed with water
on the floor between the head andthe body. He testified that the little
boy's clothing had spelt strongly a paraffinand the fabric was soaking wet. The
smell of paraffin was also present onJohn. William's head. Postmat was conducted

(32:22):
on the following day and doctor Matthewsconcluded that the cause of death was hemorrhage
resulting from decapitation. On the faceof the boy were four lacerations and on
his scalp there were two contused wounds. The clothes he samined were wet,
and with the medical evidence before him, he would state that William John's head

(32:43):
had been decapitated whilst he was inthe washtub water or where he'd been directly
taken from it. The force andtime needed for the serious act would not
have been much. When questioned bythe boy's counsel, a rumor that had
made its way into the newsreel wasput to rights. It had been stated
that the baby's head was torn fromthe body, but the doctor said that

(33:07):
the decapitation had been solely made withthe use of a knife. It was
also confirmed that although there was evidencethat William John had been placed in water
prior to his death, he wasnot drowned. The evidence also pointed that
though the room and the boy's clothessmelled a paraffone, the concentrate was on

(33:27):
the child's neck as if it hadbeen poured deliberately. Doctor Matthews would also
speak to examining Tommy, who saidhe was of weak intellect. The coroner
would ask him, he is notcompletely an idiot. He has same moments,
to which the doctor would say thathe had not spent enough time with
a teenager to say whether that wascorrect. The jury would only deliberate for

(33:51):
a few moments before declaring that theinfant son of William Davies was wilfully murdered
on Thursday, March fourteenth by someperson or persons unknown. That said Thomas
Painter Polme, all known the pressas the half Witted Boy, was seen
before the bench on Friday March twentyninth at his committal hearing. Heading the

(34:15):
hearing was the Mayor who settled theonlookers before mister phiv And Thomas for the
public prosecutor was to open the casewith a crown. He would saying that
they were gathered that day not todecide whether the boy was suffering from a
mental condition, but to decide ifthere was a prim of fashion case to
commit him to trial for murder.He would outline the evidence, touching on

(34:38):
the fomitory statements that have been madeby Tommy not before hurt. One was
highlighted made just days before on Marchtwenty sixth to PC Sloman. The room
was silent as Phivian Thomas read meput baby in tray water, who washed
baby's belly and leg? He cutbaby's head off, baby kicked cradle and

(35:04):
cry baby teasy'ld think. Oneof the first witnesses to take the witness
stand would be the infant's mother,Dorcas, who was shown to be greatly
distressed by the proceedings. She explainedher movements that day, including washing her
clothes, visiting the bakehouse, andreturning just before four pm to give William

(35:25):
john a feed from his bottle.The tearful mother, who had lost so
many children before, bitterly cried asshe explained her last moments with her son,
tell her how he had smiled ather before he was laid back down
to rest in his cradle. Sheplaced a pacifier in the crib with him
before she ran out in search ofher daughter Lily. It was as she

(35:46):
left home that she saw her neighborTommy pole Mule, with whom she acquired
where her daughter was. Later inher testimony, she told of how she
was not warned of the seed insideher home and broke down when explaining city
William Johns decapitated body. Dorcas couldno longer continue and her evidence was collaborated

(36:07):
by others who could account for hermovements that day. Other witnesses would be
called who could place the accused inthe area around the Davis home in the
crucial time frame of four to fourthirty On March fourteenth, James Dunn,
a laborer, had been passing throughDietary Square at four o five pm and

(36:29):
told the courts that he remembered seeingTommy on the doorstep leading to the Debuts
home. Dunn would say that Tommyhad been wearing a dark coat at the
time. William Oliver Painter told thecourt that he had met Dorcas Davies when
she was on her way to porthemOr Beach in search of her daughter,
and had continued to journey through thesquare. The shoemaker would also place the

(36:52):
boy outside the home. A carterby the name of Childs Painter, who
was passing between ten and fifteen minutespassed four, said at the time he
did not see Tommy at all.Charles was also a resident of the Daigie
and knew him well, so wasunlikely to miss the boy. Other witnesses

(37:13):
such as Edward Peake, Susan Cocking, Thomas Bryant, William Bryant's and Thomas
Northcote would all place Tommy near thehome, with Thomas Brydent identifying the coat
the Hughes was wearing on the dayas one that was produced found in his
grandmother's home. One of the crowd'sbiggest witnesses was the nine year old boy,

(37:36):
Peter Junior. The child in thestand would answer Fairy hesitantly, obviously
disturbed by the whole ordeal. Hewould retract the statements he had previously made
to the inquest him, saying thathe had been confused. He would then
tell them that on the day ofthe murder, that he was taken to
his grandmother's by his father. Noone had spoken to him the affair at

(38:00):
all. He denied there were anyboots burned that day. Tommy's father,
Peter Noel Pomeio, was also togive evidence. When he did, he
took the court back with his exciteablemanner and over the top gestures that she
could not control. As he spoke, he would say that, despite contradictory

(38:22):
witness statements, that Tommy had beenwith him for most of the afternoon,
and they had returned home just atfour o'clock after spending time at the Friendship
Seller together. When asked, hesaid that he believed his son to have
not been out of his sight formore than mere minutes, not even four
or five. He believed that shehad been with him for every moment and

(38:45):
recalled that Tommy was in a sessionof a new set of second hand boots.
He said at four pm that hetook them upstairs to their lodgings going
back. Peter would also tell ofthe moments that his young son had told
him of discovering William John's head inthe fire. He said that he rushed

(39:06):
out of his home to the Daviesto attempt any kind of rescue for the
child. He admitted, though,that at this time he was paying no
attention to Tommy as the urgency ofthis situation had taken over. That when
he returned home he found that Tommyhad disappeared. This had made him anxious,
as his own son was missing andhe wanted to go get help as

(39:29):
soon as possible. He wanted togo quote lad the news to his wife,
so we've got in search for herat his mother in law's house,
where he would also find Tommy,a route. He admitted he taught no
one what he saw along the way. Peter Celia would be questioned to the
statements that his younger son made tothe coroner's inquest, in which the younger

(39:52):
had said the father had burnt apair of boots Peter would saying that he
found out what was said by thenewspaper following day, and on reading this,
had corrected his son, hence whythe nine year old had made a
retraction of the statement. In thetrial. He would say that the two
coats produced were both Tommy's and infact, he hadn't changed his coat on

(40:14):
the day of the murder, buthad been wearing one on top of the
other. Tommy's mother, Elizabeth,would say that when she entered the room
after Dorcas, she saw no lifein the home that could have been used
in the crime, even when shewas requested to clean by missus Davies.
She would also openly tell the courtthat she punished Tommy's younger brother for telling

(40:36):
the inquest that he had witnessed hisfather burning an old pair of Tommy's boots,
and said the boy clearly had mistakena time for which she was burning
boots. Before after the discovery ofthe crime, many of Tommy's family had
gathered at his maternal mother's home.One of those that had ended that day
was Tommy's uncle, who said therewas no cover up and testified to hearing

(40:59):
his own mother say that if theboy had committed such he should be open
about it, but said that thatday Tommy did have quote a look about
him, and Clark Peter, who'dbeen visiting, said that on that afternoon
Tommy was very excitable and would bechattering away a lot unless his grandmother would
stop him to say, you stop, Tommy, you know nothing about it.

(41:22):
You weren't there. Another visitor toattend Tommy's grandmother's house in the hours
after the death of William John wasSergeant Drew. He would give evidence of
the court that when he was there, Tommy came to him and said,
policeman Paper's head cut off. Thesergeant then watched on as the boy's grandmother

(41:43):
took him by the shoulders and gavehim a shake and abruptly told him to
be quiet. Thomas, as I'vesaid before, was likely not competant,
which would be very evident when hewould make further statements to the police.
On the night of his arrest,wish to go home with his father and
brother, and was to tell theattending officer, won't do it any more.

(42:05):
Policeman William John squeeched for his mother. His mother was gone out,
baby was asleep in the cradle.I gave it teet, kissed William John.
I love William John. I gaveWilliam John piece of cake and shook
hands and said good night William John. I took him out of the cradle
and put him back again. Hewould not go to sleep. I found

(42:30):
a knife on the floor put iton the table. When in the presence
of both Sergeant Drew and Superintendent Banfieldon March sixteenth, Tommy would tell them
we put baby John in the tray. Big boy cut his head off.
There was a note of how bigboy was a term that Tommy had used
to describe himself. Officers were testifiedat hearing Tommy again repeat the phrase on

(42:53):
March nineteenth, and then six dayslater, on the twenty fifth, the
thirteen year old would say Tomkins saidtowards big Boy's fault. Mar said towards
big Boy's fault that William John's headcut off. Later, evidence from the
Postmato was referred to again, withdoctor Matthews testifying to the injuries the little

(43:15):
baby had suffered. More evidence wouldbe given by a lecturer at Saint Mary's
Hospital in London, doctor Wilcox,who was also in the employee of the
Home Office as a scientific analyst.He would testify to receiving items and clothing
from Sergeant Drew, who said theybelonged to the accused. On the jacket

(43:37):
that was said to be worn byTommy when he was arrested, Doctor Wilcox
would say that he found numerous stainsupon its and when tested, he found
two that tested as blood from amauble. Those two samples, however,
due to the sites at the time, were not large enough to be tested
using a special serium, so hewas unable to determine if the blood was

(44:00):
human. Tommy's counsel would also makea big point that there was no way
in which the blood on the jacketcould be dated to which the scientist agreed.
At the end of the evidence bythe state, mister Borden would saying
that Tommy wished to make no statementsat this time, leaving the bench to
decide the fate of the childlike boy. The bench had watched on as Tommy

(44:24):
took little interest in the gravity ofthe situation he was in. He would
play around after laughing and trying toget the attention of witnesses. He personally
knew it had been a long dayfor the child, as his day in
court had lasted almost eleven hours.Curious members of the public, many of

(44:44):
them from the town, listened carefullyto every piece of evidence, some,
yet not all, were shocked,with the bench agreed that the evidence proved
a case, leaving Tommy now facinga trial for his life. He left
Saint Ives accompanied by PC Sloman onSaturday. Why died It excited as he

(45:06):
departed on the one fifty pm trainholding a box of chocolates and some oranges
for his journey. The Corballer sizehad been scheduled to be held on Saturday,
June eighth, yet it was postponeddue to the high number of cases
that were scheduled, with mister JusticeBray proceeding making a note of such overwhelm

(45:27):
where the court was to open onthe following Monday. As the first case
to be heard, Mister Percy philClark was to own by stating that the
defendant, Thomas Pomo, who hadbeen committed to trial, had since been
examined whilst housed on remand at BodmoonPrison. The opinion of medical staff was

(45:47):
dammy, and upon completion of testhe was certified as insane. This information
was naturally passed onto the Home Officeand under orders of the Secretary of State,
he was removed from prison to theCounty Asylum. Due to this,
the trial would be dismissed given theboys mentoring capacity, him being stated as

(46:08):
an imbecile from birth. In fact, Tommy had been moved to the asylum
just three minutes down the road onApril thirteenth, just a few days after
his committal hearing. The boy wouldthen grow into a man inside the walls
at Saint Lawrence's Hospital, and hedied in January nineteen thirty eight, aged
forty four. Technically, William John'scase is unsolved. No one in this

(46:36):
case is a winner, even thefamilies would continue to clash after the offense
discussed in this case. A remarkwas made in the Cornishman newspaper during November
nineteen oh seven, in which explainedthat at the Saint Ives Petty sessions,
Tommy's mother summoned Dorcas Davies for usingabusive and insulting language towards her. Both

(46:58):
women, however, were found asfault by the bench and bowed over to
keep the peace for six months.With that I bring this case to a
close, and while it's one ofthe hardest cases I've covered, I was
pretty unsure whether I would air thisepisode. However, the point of this
podcast is to shine a light offorgotten victims and William John Davies de serves

(47:21):
to be remembered. As I amrecording this, I am still surrounded by
half unpacked goods from the crazy weekendthat was Chrome Con UK in London.
I returned home with very sore feet, extremely tired, but with the biggest
guird of my face. It wasa brilliant weekend. Now, on the

(47:43):
Saturday, there was a little fireat the hotel and thankfully nobody was hurt.
As a consequence, the hotel continuedto have further issues such as no
electricity that had a knock on effecton our weekend together as a community.
Okay to say how bloody proud ofthis community. I am every single person
from the crime Con team, thecrew, the volunteers, speakers, authors,

(48:06):
podcasters, and especially the organizers Mikeand Nancy. They went beyond to
make the weekend something special despite theissues out of their control. Every guest
who came, you're bloody awesome andI'm so glad I got to meet some
of you guys and some time talkingto you. I know I met some
of you last year as you wereback this year, and I know that

(48:28):
I met some people this year thatI've never met before, and it's great
to have new friendships with you all. If you ask any of us podcasts,
we always say the best bit forus is you guys. Crime Can
was an amazing event this year,despite the hotel, and it really actually
was lovely to see every come together. So I cannot wait for next year,

(48:50):
which there will be. I amhappy to say that Crime Can in
London shall be returning in twenty twentythree and it will be on the same
weekend, Dune tenth and eleven,but thankfully it will be at a different
venue. I will have more informationon that in the coming weeks. But
if you cannot wait a four twelvemonths until your next True Crome fix,

(49:12):
which I totally get, Crime ConUK, in partnership with a wonderful CBS
reality the home of expect Led TruecrownTelevision, will be in Glasgow in just
a few months. These guys havethought of everything. Glasgow's event is still
jam packed with content from some ofthe biggest names in true crime. We're

(49:34):
talking Kerry Dane's Colin Saturn and Crissberryd amongst others. But this is an
intimate one day offense. Podcasts suchas Poor from the True Crime Enthusiast,
Adam from UK True Crime and theLovely Bob and Allie from Twist in Britain
will also be on podcast Row,as will I. This special show even
includes a buffet lunch with the truecrime community, so there's plenty of chances

(49:59):
to even sit do with your heroes. So mark the date book a holiday
from work because Crime Can UK inGlasgow is on September tenth and I want
to see you there. To booktickets, you can follow the link to
crime Can UK in the show notes, or you can pop along to crime
dot co dot uk to get alittle extra discount as well. You can

(50:22):
enter the code Lady and receive anextra ten percent off. And that's not
half bad. Quickly, as Irough up now, I would like to
see if we could balance out thosescales somewhat with a small act of kindness.
Now this week, I would likefor you to call someone from the
older generation for no reason in particular, but to say hi. We should

(50:43):
all remember that for a lot ofus, we have regained some normality since
the ending of the pandemic. However, for many who are older, their
lives are still plagued with isolation.That should be you say so if you
can remind something that they're not alonethis week, and that's my love.
These go, big, good people. Go be kinds, Go be safe,

(51:04):
and most importantly, go be happy.

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